Esprique Precious Gradation Layer Cheeks in 02

Esprique Precious (which is soon to be revamped and re-released as Esprique) came out with a couple of new blushes some months ago.

I got the color 02 from Adambeauty along with the matching case as it looked like a gorgeous combo to go with a good variety of my lipsticks. 
The case is white and silver and contains a mirror and a very soft wide cheek brush. Most Japanese brand include actually nice to even excellent brushes and applicators in their products so it´s always worth trying them out at least.

The blush is quite shimmery with a sheer amount of pigment as most common among Japanese brands. The shimmer is quite fine though so my lips look nicely dewy and highlighted rather than glittery. 

Lasting power is good, the blush lasts pretty much as long as my face makeup without significant fading.

02 is a cool dusty rose combo, with a brighter pink as a pop of color but since it´s quite sheer it´s not really that vibrant. I usually swirl all colors together as I like the color result very much

Overall a great blush albeit a bit pricier as you have to buy the case separately (that´s if you need the case).


Rating 4.5/5

Spring 2011: Esprique Precious Dual Gradation Eyes in D-2

I got another palette from Esprique Precious as I really liked the previous 2 palettes from the Dual Gradation Eyes range and have used both of them quite a lot in the past weeks.
 
As I said before the texture is really buttery soft and the shadows are very pigmented. There is a cream base and several powder shades...for the exact uses etc. please check out this review on palettes D-3 and D-4.


D-2 is a warm olive/muddy moss green and apricot combo. Definitely on the warmer side but I really like it nonetheless. I like the intense velvety metallic finish of the lighter green shade!



Overall a great palette and a very nice and unusual color combo in my stash.


 Rating 4.5/5

Esprique Precious Double Shine Face Powder

Happy Christmas to everyone! =D
Kosé released a limited edition face powder (or actually a highlighter) called Double Shine Face Powder back in summer or fall (don´t remember exactly).
I got mine for cheap on eBay (it came along with a Toning Lotion (Mist) face spray) for less than 20 bucks.
This is the item description from Esprique Precious´ Singapore website:

"Product Features
	Enjoy two types of shine with different tones. Reflect Shine Pearly White with 3 types of silver pearls compounded. Gives skin enhanced brightness and translucency as if reflecting the light. Defines the features of the face with shine and brightness akin to reflected light from a reflecting board. Glow Shine Platinum Beige with large highly-luminant silver pearls compounded. The even shine gives skin the sparkle and brilliance of diamond. A skin tone tinted shade suitable for all skin types.
•	Offers good coverage appropriate for touch-ups.
•	Spreads with a fluffy and smooth touch and dresses skin well with an even veil.
•	Protects skin from UV-rays and damages from sunburns preventing dark spots and freckles.
•	Allergy tested. (It does not mean that it is allergy proof for all)
•	Fragrance free.
•	Comes with a face brush.
•	ESPRIQUE PRECIOUS Foundation can be set in."

The case is very pretty albeit it comes along a bit cheap due to the white plastic part which feels a bit lightweight.
If I understand the description correctly this is a face powder and I tried it out as such for the sake of this blog but it looks terrible, a total glitter overkill.
As a highlighter powder however it´s a lovely product when applied in the right places and with a light hand.
 
There are 2 shades in the compact, a white and a light beige but both blend together for a nice silvery shimmer finish. I like this applied on the middle of my forehead, bridge of the nose and on the highest point of my cheeks. You can detect the glitters in bright sunlight but in the current dreary winter weather it looks relatively subtle and pretty. 

This carries a weird smell though it´s not scented. It´s more like a chalky smell in my opinion so probably results from the ingredients.


Overall a pretty highlighter but not suitable as a face powder. I have other highlighters I like better though as they give a rather dewy than glittery finish so for me the Double Shine Face Powder is rather mediocre.
The included brush however is actually excellent, very soft and wide so it helps distribute the product evenly.  
Rating 3/5

Spring 2011: Esprique Precious Dual Gradation Eyes D-3 and D-4 (Blooming Liberty Collection)

Anyone ready for springtime? I know it´s not even Christmas yet but the first spring 2011 collections from Japanese brands have started popping up in the online shops!
Esprique Precious released an interesting new line of eyeshadow palettes and since eyeshadows are always the most attractive items from a beauty brand I had to pick up couple of pieces to see how they´d perform.

The cases of the new eyeshadow palettes look simple yet elegant as they are colored in a shiny pink-tinged silver metallic color.
The eyeshadow colors are arranged like a lucky clover and are engraved with clovers all over, too.
Each palette contains a cream highlighter base, 2 colors in a medium and deep shade for the upper lids and a color duo of a light and medium shade for the lower lids. The medium shade is always a shade of pink, apricot or peach as it´s supposed to be just dabbed on the middle of the lower lids to make one´s eyes look bigger.

The texture of the eyeshadows is very soft and buttery with great color pay-off  (the main colors at least). They are actually so smooth to the touch that I first thought all colors are cream shadows but only the base is cream, the others are powder shades.
The finish of most colors is metallic, especially the lid colors and the lighter shade for the lower lids.

Despite the creamy texture the staying power is great when applying the powder shadows on top of the cream base, I wore D-3 yesterday for about 15 hours and it didn´t crease at all. 
The only little drawback I see is that the shadows need a little more effort to blend compared to some other shadows but therefore they stay pretty color-true without mixing up too badly and getting muddy.

D-3 is the color featured in the main look. I actually ordered this by mistake and when I first got it I thought of selling it but curiosity won me over and actually I really love the palette. It contains a metallic rusty reddish brown, a deep slightly shimmery red-tinged brown, metallic sheer pale peach and medium shimmery sheer peach for the lower lids and a shimmery pale golden cream base.

(swatches to be updated)
I like that this color combo enhances the slight greenish tinge in my brown eyes.

2 looks with this palette:



D-4 is a taupe combo so you knew I´d pick that one up, right? =P It contains a medium metallic taupe gray, deep metallic taupe brown, sheer metallic pale pink and fleshy pink for the lower lids and a white shimmery cream base. 


I use the lower lid shades on my upper lids as highlighter on my browbone and below brows, too. 
2 EOTDs created with this palette:




Overall these are high-quality palettes very worth checking out. All 4 colors are on the neutral side (the other 2 palettes are pink and olive-themed).
I got mine for US$36.95/each from Alphabeautyuk on eBay. Retail price is 3675 Yen in Japan (~US$44).

Rating 4.5/5

Xmas 2010: Kosé Esprique Precious Twinkle Story Collection coffret review

I received the Xmas coffret from Esprique Precious last week so I had time to play with the goodies and formed my opinion. Overall: I don´t like it that much.

On to the individual reviews... 
The Twinkle Story Collection coffret is the 2nd Xmas kit I decided to pick up this year (first and absolute favorite being Lunasol). I am not counting the Paul &Joe coffrets now as they came out so early that they didn´t feel like Christmas releases to me and to me P&J somehow isn´t a proper Japanese brand as it´s available in so many other countries (yea, call me weird, I know it´s made in Japan!).

Overall I didn´t really pick up so much Xmas stuff this year, very little actually compared to the past years... but I very much like what Kanebo offers us (Lavshuca and Lunasol! Though I also picked up some goodies from Kate that were very lame) and I also purchased some goodies from Shiseido (the perfume from Majolica Majorca and a few products from Integrate). From Kosé I got this coffret and a blush from Esprique Precious though I believe the new Gradation Layer Cheeks palettes aren´t actually an Xmas release.


The Twinkle Story Collection contains:
-Multi-Prism Palette, 6.8g
-Multi-Prism Palette case
-Pencil Eyeliner in BK001, 1.2g
-Aurora Crystal Lip Gloss SP002, 4.4g 
-Nail Color N in SP010, 5ml

As you see the palette is considered full-sized but the other items are smaller sizes.
Everything comes packed in a pretty dark box with a big booklet attached to the back (it includes pics and application tips). I am not posting pics of the application tips as I you can find the English version on Rouge Deluxe here!

The Multi-Prism Palette case is very pretty, it´s black with silver and holographic stars, much like the milky way.

The palette itself comes in form of 2 refills, one is the pan with the highlighter/eye base cream and the other with the 4 powder colors. There are also 2 applicators for the face and eyes as the Multi-Prism Palette is to be used on eyes and face.

This palette has a silky texture but is very sheer and shimmery. To me actually it´s a bit too shimmery to use it as a blush as my cheeks just look way too glittery with this one.
For the eyes the colors aren´t nearly as pigmented as I like them so the darkest plum color turns into a dirty pink on my eyes. I wished the purple would show up more true to the pan as this shade isn´t a color I particularly like on my eyes.
The silver shade is very sheer and glittery, a bit more pigment and metallic goodness wouldn´t have hurt either.

I didn´t try the 2 pinks on my eyes, just on my cheeks for which they are too 
shimmery as mentioned above.
The shimmery cream base makes a nice primer and highlighter and the shimmer it contains is more refined than the one in the powder shades.

I actually was quite pleased with how my overall EOTD turned out but still not oustanding at all.

The Pencil Eyeliner is quite pleasant to use, after rubbing the tip a bit against the back of my hand it´s soft enough to use it on my lower lids and on the inner rims where it lasts quite well. The color is a black shade with fine silver shimmer but the shimmer isn´t really visible after application.

 

The Aurora Crystal Gloss is an excellent sticky and thick gloss with a mirror finish. It contains some fine flecks of glitter. What bugs me as usual is that this is a clear gloss. Meh, why do the Japanese brands think it´s cool to include a clear gloss with each coffret? Why not some universally flattering peach, pink or beige...or a daring red....but clear is BORING! Well, it´s handy to apply on top of lipstick for a more glossy finish and the quality of this product is very good anyway so for those who need a clear shimmery gloss this is perfect.




The Nail Color N is quite pretty, it´s a clear-ish base with very fine flecks of white and blue shimmer. When worn in 2-3 layers it´s a really pretty nail color as the shimmer is so fine and dense that the nail polish turns almost opaque which is a color that reminds me of glistening snow in sunlight. 
The formula is quite fast-drying the the polish lasts very well, I removed mine after wearing it for 4 days and there was just a little tip-wear.


Overall I am disappointed with the palette and certainly the palette is the main attraction of the coffret. The gloss and eyeliner are alright though not oustanding, the nail color is very pretty but doesn´t justify getting the coffret. 
The coffret is very suitable for younger ladies who like shimmer and soft pinks.


It gets a nay from me and a rating of 3/5.

My friend Iris from Rouge Deluxe has written this excellent review and has posted the application tips in English here!